Federal League Baseball in Huggins & Scott Auction

[william_9]

We could go back and forth (which would be a fun and worthy discussion) but the truth is that we'll never know for sure the exact history of most of the Federal League balls that come up. My opinion is that there is a huge difference between retail products and mementos during this time. An item purchased at retail and intended to be used has a far greater chance of being used up and lost or thrown away, versus something that was obtained at a game or has a memory or meaning attached to it. And, with a very limited retail window of only two years (possibly slightly more or less due to overstock or shortage) there would have been far fewer FL balls sold when compared to AL/NL which had a much longer production run for each model (mostly), and far fewer when compared to cheaper off-brands and private label offerings. It is good to know that FL balls were sold at retail (I assumed they were, but never had a reason to check).

I will also say (and clarify) that any used FL ball that comes up should not automatically be assumed "game used", at least not in the Federal League. Without the details that are lost to time it would be impossible to say for certain. It could very well have been purchased and used by a kid and stashed away and forgotten about. We'll never know.

Lastly, it is possible that Gilmore's stamp was on the ball at one time. You can see that the original writing over the area where the stamp would have been placed is minimal, which suggests (to me anyway), that there was something stamped there. The rest of the ball appears to have been traced over. The original writing may have been too faded or faint to trace. I can't tell in the photos. Also, since the Gilmore stamp was a teal color it may have simply faded away. Look at the stitching, which should be a similar teal color, and you will see that it is very washed out.

Congrats on owning one by the way! They're a rare ball no matter how you look at it.

[ngrow9]

Those are all very fair points. I agree we'll never know, and I suspect you are probably correct that the remaining balls are more likely to have come from an official game rather than a commercial purchase.

I also agree that it is strange that there is less writing over where you would expect to find the presidential stamp on the ball in the Huggins & Scott auction. However, if you look closely, there is some faint writing across where the stamp would have been (perhaps a signature?). Also, in looking at my own ball, I find it hard to believe that the presidential stamp would have worn off of the Baltimore ball given how crisp the other stamps are, and how little wear the ball has overall. Again, though, we'll never know for sure.

Does anyone know if there were differences between the Federal League balls produced by Victor for commercial sale versus those produced for official game use?

Also, I'm really curious to know how many Federal League balls exist in total. In addition to the three links I provided in the initial post, the only others I've found records for on the Internet are these:

http://sports.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=7051&lotNo=82067

http://www.huntauctions.com/LIVE/ima...=275&lot_qual=

I suspect a few more exist (I've heard rumor of an unopened FL ball), but would be curious to know if anyone else is in possession of one not accounted for in the various links in this thread.

Thanks!

[martindl]

I think it's an item that appeals more to the history collector than the strict ball collector.

Ignoring that it's a Federal League ball, it's a little package of history, be it baseball, city, school or family. I can see why someone would pay well for it.

It's a ball notating the baseball game in detail, with the schools name and the name of the boys who ran a relay with the ball to the ballpark, along with a related letter, and, and, on a Federal League ball to boot!